Which Leica DISTO™ laser measurer is right for me?

With so many useful measuring functions it can be difficult to find the best Leica DISTO™ for your needs. This extended blog helps visualize some of the unique ways a laser distance measurer can reduce measuring time and lets you see on one page (one long page that is) what functions are included with the various DISTO models. To learn more about laser distance meter basic functionality and more advanced "bells and whistles", check out some of the other blogs under the "Industry Insider".

And no, that's not me in the picture!

Learn more about the useful and flexible functions in Leica DISTO™

Min / Max Function

S910

D810

D510

D410

D3aBT

X310

D210

D2

In Min/Max mode, you "sweep" the laser point into a corner. The longest measurement is recorded. Very useful for accurate diagonal room or window/door measurements.

Area / Volume

S910

D810

D510

D410

D3aBT

X310

D210

D2

D110
(area)

In area mode, the DISTO determines the area of a rectangle or square in two shots.

Volume mode adds a third vertical shot to calculate volume.

Measurements can be displayed in feet or meters on all DISTOs.

Triangle / Room Function

S910

D810

D510

D410

D3aBT

X310

The simple area function is great when a room is a square or rectangle, but what if you have to determine the area of a room that has more than four corners? That is where the triangle function comes in. Divide the room into imaginary triangles, take three shots for each and then add them up. The DISTO will also tell you circumference and the angle of the triangle.

Painter Function

S910

D810

D510

D410

D3aBT

X310

D210

The painter function calculates the sum of several individual wall surfaces with a common height. You simply measure a series of wall lengths and finish with a single height measurement to get the total wall area.

Trapezium Function

S910

D810

D510

The Trapezium Function is useful for determining the length and slope of a roof section, and the area it covers. The DISTO uses the its internal tilt sensor to calculate the angle and the distance between the shots, which means you can measure roofs accurately from the ground.

Pythagoras Function

S910

D810

D510

D410

D3aBT

X310

D210

D2

Take indirect height and width measurements using the Pythagorean Theorem.

The key is to make sure your second shot -- the "rectangular shot" -- is perpendicular to the point you are measuring, shown as the 90° angle in the images. The best way to ensure accuracy is to use a tripod and an adapter.

Tilt Sensor

S910

D810

D510

D410*

D3aBT

X310

Functions that need to know the angle of the DISTO when the shot is taken are enabled by a highly accurate tilt sensor that determines the angle of the laser. These include Smart Horizontal and Height Tracking modes.

* D410 has SmartHorizontal only

+/- 45° on D410, D3aBT models

360° on S910, D810, D510, X310 models

Smart Horizontal™ Mode

S910

D810

D510

D410

D3aBT

X310

Use Smart Horizontal to determine the level horizontal distance to a target when you have to shoot over an obstacle. The onboard 360° tilt sensor provides an angle measurement so the software can do the math to figure out how much to subtract from the angled shot to get the actual horizontal (level) distance.

Sloped Object Measurement

S910

D810

D510

Indirect distance measuring between two points. The reported measurements also include the horizontal distance between the two points, the vertical distance between the two points, and the angle between the points.

Height Tracking

S910

D810

D510

X310

"Real time" height tracking for situations where you can hit a reflective target (like the ground) on the low end, but not at the top. Perfect for measuring the height of an overhead wire, for example.

Profile Measurement

S910

D810

D510

Measure slopes with multiple shots. Each shot is stored as a profile pair that references the step before it.

Stakeout Function

S910

D810

D510

D410

D3aBT

X310

D210

D2

The stake out function uses the continuous measurement mode to indicate where to place stakes along a stake-out line. Ideal for any situation where you need to place objects at a consistent interval. The display shows the distance to the next stake out point and the DISTO beeps as you approach it.

Add and Subtract

S910

D810

D510

D410

D3aBT

X310

D210

D2

It's not always so simple as taking one shot to get the measurement you need. Sometimes its handy to add multiple shots together, or subtract a negative space from a measurement.

As you use the Add/Subtract function, the final result is displayed in the main line, and the last measurement taken is shown above.

Outdoor Laser Pointfinder with 4X zoom

S910

D810

D510

D410

The onboard digital camera features a 4x digital zoom "point finder" that shows you where the dot is even if you can't see it with the naked eye (even outside in the sun!). Put the crosshairs on the spot you are measuring to and hit the button. It's that simple

Measure With Picture Function

S910

D810

The Measure With Picture function uses the outdoor laser pointfinder camera to measure distances and areas. Using an FTA360, locate your D810 touch perpendicular to the object you want to measure. With 1 distance measurement and 1 image measurement you can use the touchscreen of the D810 to measure the width and/or height of an object. The measurements are shown on the display, typical accuracy is 1% of measured value.

Measure With Picture - Diameter

S910

D810

The Diameter function uses Measure in Picture technology to determine the diameter of cylindrical objects, like tanks.

The read out also provides circumference (top number) and circular area.

The typical accuracy is 1% of the measured value.

Point-2-Point Measurement (P2P)

S910

Measure the tie distance between two points, even if you are hundreds of feet from your target. Shoot Point 1 then Point 2 and the S910 displays the distance between them. Widths, heights, diagonals, gaps, it doesn't matter: Just measure the start and end point and the distance is displayed. The P2P function can also measure height differences between two points. Typical accuracy is 1cm per 10m or 3/8" at 33'.

Smart Area Measurement

S910

Shoot the corners of any polygon to determine the area of walls, floors, even complex roof shapes.

With a typical Laser Distance Meter (LDM) you would move from wall to wall to wall to measure each surface. With an S910, you set up once and measure each surface by hitting the corners in a single rotation.

That's one set-up in total instead of one set-up per wall. The S910's point-and-shoot-the-corner workflow also makes it much easier to measure irregular shapes